WashWire Daily Brief: Testing Comcast CEO’s Clout

Welcome to the new WashWire Daily Brief newsletter, the Journal’s morning rundown of the biggest news stories and exclusive features from Washington on politics, policy, financial regulation, defense and more.

Now that Comcast Corp. has reached a deal with Time Warner Cable to combine the nation’s two biggest cable operators (http://on.wsj.com/1dJCBGt), it has to clear formidable regulatory hurdles in Washington, D.C. What’s expected to be a marathon regulatory scrutiny could become a measure of the company’s clout in the capital—and Comcast’s top executives are not unprepared.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts has spent the last five years making friends with the Obama administration, hosting President Barack Obama and his top adviser Valerie Jarrett in Martha’s Vineyard and playing golf with the president. Another top executive has hosted a number of prominent fundraisers for the president, and Comcast employees contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to his re-election campaign. And this isn’t the company’s first rodeo: In 2011, it faced intense scrutiny in Washington over its acquisition of NBCUniversal.

But while the company has a sophisticated operation in place, it will need to be wary of being seen as too close to the administration, one expert warns: “People in D.C. are very aware of appearances and might not want to be viewed as giving Comcast special treatment.” Gautham Nagesh reports: http://on.wsj.com/1dMjn35

After controlling the debate in Congress when it came to taxation and spending, the tea party was pushed to the side as the House and Senate voted on the U.S. debt ceiling. Jerry Seib discusses the future of the party as it seeks to maintain its influence. VIDEO: http://on.wsj.com/1f0zb6S

CAROL E. LEE’S BONUS EARLY HITThe status quo that the White House claims as a victory at home falls short of Mr. Obama’s foreign-policy goals. That’s in part why the president is spending Valentine’s Day on a sprawling Palm Springs, Calif., resort with plans for multiple rounds of golf and some quality time with…the king of Jordan. Mr. Obama is beginning to turn his sights on foreign policy more than we’ve seen recently. For Mr. Obama, it may be the one area where he can achieve significant goals. Read Carol E. Lee’s full post in Washington Wire: http://on.wsj.com/1gBdDwk

WSJ STORIES YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

GUN LAWS: Gun-rights advocates scored a significant win Thursday, as a San Francisco federal appeals court ruled that the Second Amendment gives individuals the right to carry a gun outside the home for self-defense. The decision struck down a San Diego county policy requiring residents to show a “pressing need” in order to get a permit to carry weapons in public. Now, people only need to show a desire to defend themselves outside the home. Ashby Jones reports: http://on.wsj.com/1dM2DZM

WINTER ECONOMY: ”The polar vortex has its icy fingers around the economy’s throat,” writes Kathleen Madigan, and it’s likely to take its toll on growth in the first quarter. A Wall Street Journal monthly survey of economists found that unusually harsh weather will pull the first quarter’s annualized growth rate to 2.2%, down from the 2.5% forecast a month ago. Harsh weather has closed businesses, disrupted transportation systems and supply chains, and kept shoppers at home. And it’s not over yet—the higher cost of keeping warm will likely slow spending into the spring. http://on.wsj.com/1hguRDVCheck out our comprehensive graph of the economic outlook: http://on.wsj.com/1cujRep)

MASSIVE STORM: States from the Carolinas to Maine have been ravaged by a massive snowstorm, closing government offices, schools and many businesses, and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. The storm—which experts say will rank among the major Northeast storms in the last 100 years—was blamed for up to 17 deaths as of Thursday night. Major cities shut down, and several states declared partial states of emergency. Cameron McWhirter, Mara Gay and Valerie Bauerlein report: http://on.wsj.com/1lI1xVp Meanwhile, Washington finally gets a blizzard worthy of Alertmageddon. Elizabeth Williamson reports on the cit’’s notorious panic: http://on.wsj.com/1dLy9XV

ECONOMICS POSTS: Mr. Obama is pushing two career officials to fill posts at the Treasury and the International Monetary Fund, as he seeks to calm global tensions over U.S. policies. The nominations, which need congressional approval, come as relations with the euro zone have been hampered by U.S. spying allegations and criticism of the the U.S. for not ratifying a 2010 agreement that would have given emerging markets greater say at the IMF in proportion to their economic heft. Ian Talley reports: http://on.wsj.com/1eT1Z2K

NORTH KOREA: Secretary of State John Kerry said he will seek China’s help in talks today to further pressure North Korea to ease tensions and give up its nuclear program, acknowledging that efforts so far haven’t made much progress. Mr. Kerry said China has taken “initial steps” to bring more stability to the peninsula, but said the country can do more to urge North Korea to action. Adam Entous reports: http://on.wsj.com/1hfCg6l

–Compiled by Rebecca Ballhaus

WHAT WE’RE READING AROUND THE WEB

A federal judge in Virginia has struck down the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriage, though putting off implementation of the ruling so appeals can be heard. Her decision follows similar rulings in Oklahoma and Utah, and; the Virginia case now joins those cases “in a race toward the Supreme Court.” http://usat.ly/1dOe96U

Meanwhile, Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee have opened a new chapter in the debate over gay marriage in Congress by introducing legislation that protects the right of each state to define marriage as it chooses, saying they want the federal government to give “the same deference to the 33 states that define marriage as the union between one man and one woman as it does to the 17 states that have chosen to recognize same-sex unions.” http://huff.to/1dOf336

Recent research, the Economist says, may be telling us something “depressing” about the labor market, that it “may be permanently stunted,” with a higher percentage of the population out of the work force for the long haul. http://econ.st/1dOf6fx

Tim Fernholz writes that his bet is that federal regulators will “shut down” the Comcast merger with Time Warner Cable, not because of a concentration of cable TV power but because of what would be the companies’ combined dominance in the market to provide broadband Internet service. http://bit.ly/1dOfdYk

The Obama administration hopes that Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s desire to avoid international criticism during his country’s Olympic games will persuade him to stand aside and allow passage of a new United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an end to the siege of cities such as Homs. http://atfp.co/1dOfjiH

MINOR MILESTONESix members at most of the class of 1994 –the big class of 73 freshman Republicans whose victories gave Republicans control of the House for the first time in 40 years–will remain in the House of Representatives after the 2014 midterms. http://on.wsj.com/1gDMclv

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Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.